Electrical connectors are used for interconnecting electronic instruments or components. A typical connector is a banana lead having a single wire terminated at each end with a male banana plug. The banana plug has an elongated conductive probe portion wrapped with barrel spring, so that the probe portion may be inserted into a female receptacle in an instrument, with a conductive sleeve in the receptacle making contact with the barrel spring. Many other connector types have multiple lines, with multiple contacts on each end of a lead. Others have shielded configurations that have a signal wire wrapped by a shield wire, and coaxial end connectors to maintain shielding at the connections.
Instruments generally have limited area available for connector receptacles on exposed face plates. It is often desirable for an instrument to accept different connectors for different purposes. However, the different connector configurations require different types of connector receptacles, which increases the number of receptacles needed for versatility. For instance, a set of single receptacles may be needed in addition to a set of multiple-line connector receptacles. Lacking compatibility, an increased number of receptacles, and therefore an increased panel area must be provided.
The embodiments disclosed herein overcome these limitations by providing an electrical connector with a female portion defining a bore having an aperture, and a male portion having an elongated member sized to be received in the bore. The female portion has a first flexible contact and an electrically isolated second rigid contact. The male portion has a first flexible contact and an electrically isolated second rigid contact. The connector may be a banana connector with a barrel spring providing conventional contact, and a separate contact at the tip of the male portion.